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About This Recipe
PUMPKIN cinnamon rolls, oh my!!! Is there really anything better than a big, doughy, sweet roll on a crisp fall morning? I think not!
These Healthy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are one of my favorite recipes from my Fall Collection Mini Cookbook! The collection is full of exclusive recipes with a focus on a fall seasonal ingredients and season favorites! You can purchase this collection individually or you can become a part of Fit Cookie Club and get it for free!
The base of these cinnamon rolls combines some of our favorite fall flavors: pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. They’re sweet with a little spice and just the right amount of pumpkin flavor. And don’t let process intimidate you! These truly are easier than you think and definitely WORTH IT! 😉
These Healthy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are also lightened up but truly don’t taste it for a second! I promise, the whole family will LOVE them.
If you love cinnamon rolls as much as me, you also have to try my Protein Cinnamon Rolls!
Looking for more healthy pumpkin recipes? Try my Healthy Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip French Toast Bake or my Healthy Pumpkin Brownies!
Reader Review
“I always love Lauren treat recipes.. but this one.. best out of them all. They are so light which I was not expecting. The perfect fluff, pumpkin flavor and the icing. Wow. Just wow. No one would ever expect this is anything but an indulgent treat. 300/10. Keep doing what you do Lauren.. cause this is amazing. Chefs kiss!” – Ali
Why You’ll Love These Healthy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- The ULTIMATE fall breakfast! Perfect for Sunday brunch, Thanksgiving morning or dessert any night of the week.
- Lightened up and lower calories than traditional cinnamon rolls but still filled with tons of creamy, sweet, cinnamon flavor!
- Just 205 calories per HUGE cinnamon roll!
- Doughy, light, sweet, these fluffy pumpkin cinnamon roll are truly next level!
- An EASY classic cinnamon roll recipe with the perfect amount of pumpkin twist! Perfect for any morning- during the fall time or not!
- Detailed instructions make it easy to follow along.
- Truly one of my favorite pumpkin recipes to date!!!
- Milk – I used unsweetened almond milk but use any milk of choice!
- Light butter – I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter. Regular butter or dairy-free butter work great too!
- Canned pumpkin – not pumpkin pie mix, canned pumpkin is unsweetened, real pumpkin. I used Libby’s because it has the best orange color and texture.
- Fast Rising Yeast – if you are using active dry yeast instead of fast-rising yeast, you may need to let dough sit longer as it may take longer for it to rise.
- Egg – eggs help bind the ingredients together and adds a richness to the dough.
- Sweetener – I used monk fruit sweetener and golden monk fruit sweetener. You could use regular sugar and brown sugar, Truvia, Swerve, coconut sugar, whatever sweetener you fancy here!
- Flour – All-purpose flour, cake flour or bread flour works best here! I recommend Bob Red Mill’s 1:1 or King Arthur’s measure for measure if using gluten-free flour. White whole wheat flour would also be a good choice for some extra nutrients.
- Cream cheese – I used reduced fat cheese cheese. Feel free to use regular cream cheese, fat-free, Neufchatel (Greek cream cheese), or vegan cream cheese.
- Powdered sugar – I used powdered monk fruit sweetener. But any confectioner’s sugar works!
- Pure maple syrup – can use sugar-free syrup if preferred.
- Baking essentials: vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon
- To make gluten-free: use gluten-free flour. I recommend Bob Red Mill’s 1:1 or King Arthur’s measure for measure for the most similar flavor and texture.
- To make dairy-free: use dairy-free milk, plant-based butter, and dairy-free cream cheese.
How To Make
For The Pumpkin Dough:
- In a large bowl, microwave the milk and butter for 45 seconds to 1 minute, or until temperature has reached 110 degrees F (use a thermometer for this). It should feel like bath water. Temperature is important here. If the milk is too cool or too hot, the yeast won’t rise.
- Whisk in the pumpkin, egg, sweetener and pumpkin pie spice until combined. Double check that the temperature is still 110-115F then whisk in the yeast.
- Transfer the liquid mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer and attach your dough hook. Gradually add in the flour and protein a little at a top and continue mixing for 1-2 minutes until flour is well incorporated. Alternatively, you can just keep the liquid in the same bowl then add the flour and protein powder a little at a time, folding with a spatula or wooden spoon.
- Keep kneading in your stand mixer for another 3 minutes (or transfer to a floured surface and knead for 3 minutes). Then let the dough rest for 10 minutes while you gather your Cinnamon Swirl ingredients.
For The Cinnamon Swirl + Assembly:
- Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl. After the dough rests 10 minutes, briefly knead the dough again then roll out into a 14×8 inch large rectangle using a rolling pin.
- Spread the butter on top all across the pumpkin dough. Then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top. I know it seems like a lot, but a lot is absorbed in the dough when baked.
- Roll the dough up hot-dog style and gently press the end of the dough into the log to seal. Use a sharp serrated knife or piece of floss to carefully cut into 12 even rolls. Spray a 9×13-inch dish with cooking spray and place the rolls in the dish with room to expand. Cover the rolls tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 60-90 minutes in a warm place. I just went ahead and cut my oven on (350F) and let the rolls sit on top of the warm oven.
- After the rolls have doubled in size, bake for 20-25 minutes (I took mine out right at 20 min) or until golden brown. If you notice the tops are getting too brown too quickly, loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil and continue baking.
For the Frosting:
- Beat the frosting ingredients together until smooth. Spread on the warm pumpkin rolls. Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Keep stored in an airtight container. Rolls will last 2 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
How To Reheat
You can reheat these cinnamon rolls in the oven at 350F for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through. Cover with tin foil to avoid drying out. You can also reheat them in the air fryer at 350F for 5-8 minutes (cover with tin foil as well).
If you’re reheating in the microwave, I recommend placing a damp paper towel over your cinnamon roll and microwaving for 20-30 seconds or until warmed though. Be sure not to overheat for too long or it will harden the cinnamon roll!
Another tip is if you know you won’t be eating all 12 at one time, you can leave the frosting off the ones you know you will be reheating to avoid a mess when reheating!
Helpful Tips for Successful Cinnamon Rolls
These take a a little bit more time (and effort) than most of my recipes, but still easy to follow along! There are just a couple of parts of this recipe I want to highlight and emphasize the importance of.
- Appropriate liquid temperature: A VERY IMPORTANT key to this recipe is making sure the liquid ingredients are the right temperature to optimally allow the yeast to let dough rise. If the liquid is too hot, it will kill the yeast. If it is not warm enough, the yeast will not be activated to rise. The goal is between 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit. An instant thermometer is best for this. But if you don’t have one, just aim for warm milk (not scalding) that feels like bath water temperature.
- Room temperature ingredients: This goes along with the appropriate temperature stated above. We don’t want to add a cold egg and cold pumpkin because then it’s going to bring the temperature of the liquid down, therefore not allowing the yeast to rise. If adding cold ingredients, just make sure you reheat the liquid to get to 100-115F again before adding the yeast.
- Kneading the dough: You want to make sure you knead the dough for at least 3 minutes before flattening it out.
- Let the dough rest: I know you’re eager to get to rolling, but don’t skip letting the dough rest for 10 minutes. This rest time allows the gluten in the rolls to relax, making the dough infinitely easier to knead and shape.
Can these healthy pumpkin cinnamon rolls be made in advance?
Yes! You can go ahead and prep these rolls the night before to make it super easy the next morning! You can do this by either just prepping the dough (pausing at step 5) OR going ahead and making the rolls so that they are ready to be put in the oven!
How do I reheat these cinnamon rolls?
You can reheat these cinnamon rolls in the oven at 350F for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through. Cover with tin foil to avoid drying out. You can also reheat them in the air fryer at 350F for 5-8 minutes (cover with tin foil as well).
What is the floss cutting trick?
Have you guys heard of this? It can be easy to smash your cinnamon rolls with a knife, so using floss helps keep them nice and circular! Or you can just cut into slices first and then roll up individually like is already in the recipe card.
For the floss cutting trick: Slide a long piece of dental floss under the log of dough. Wrap it around the top. Then, pull tightly in opposite directions to pull the floss through the roll. Repeat going down the log, slicing about 2″ each time until you’ve cut the whole log into rolls.
What
I love pairing these with a simple egg scramble and piece of turkey bacon or sausage for the perfect sweet and savory combo + macro-balanced meal. If meal prepping, you could try them with this healthy homemade turkey sausage or these cheddar and bacon egg bites.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure leave a review, tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @LaurenFitFoodie or hashtag #LaurenFitFoodie so I can see your creations!
Healthy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Pumpkin Dough:
- 1/3 cup almond milk (80g) or any milk
- 1/4 cup light butter (56g) or regular butter
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (180g), room temperature
- 1 packet fast rising yeast (7g)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1/4 cup monk fruit sweetener* (48g) or sugar
- 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 3.5 cups all purpose or cake flour (420g) + extra for rolling
For the Cinnamon Swirl:
- 1/4 cup light butter (56g) or regular butter
- 1/2 cup golden monk fruit sweetener* (92g) or brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
For the Frosting:
- 4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup powdered monk fruit sweetener* (72g) or regular powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup (30g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
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Instructions
For the Pumpkin Dough:
- In a large bowl, microwave the milk and butter for 45 seconds to 1 minute, or until temperature has reached 110 degrees F (use a thermometer for this). It should feel like bath water. Temperature is important here. If the milk is too cool or too hot, the yeast won’t rise.
- Whisk in the pumpkin, egg, sweetener and pumpkin pie spice until combined. Double check that the temperature is still 110-115F then whisk in the yeast.
- Transfer the liquid mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer and attach your dough hook. Gradually add in the flour a little at a top and continue mixing for 1-2 minutes until flour is well incorporated. Alternatively, you can just keep the liquid in the same bowl then add the flour a little at a time, folding with a spatula or wooden spoon.
- Keep kneading in your stand mixer for another 3 minutes (or transfer to a floured surface and knead for 3 minutes). Then let the dough rest for 10 minutes while you gather your Cinnamon Swirl ingredients.
Cinnamon Swirl + Assembly:
- Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl. After the dough rests 10 minutes, briefly knead the dough again then roll out into a 14×8 inch large rectangle using a rolling pin.
- Spread the butter on top all across the pumpkin dough. Then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top. I know it seems like a lot, but a lot is absorbed in the dough when baked.
- Roll the dough up hot-dog style and gently press the end of the dough into the log to seal. Use a sharp serrated knife or piece of floss to carefully cut into 12 even rolls. Spray a 9×13-inch dish with cooking spray and place the rolls in the dish with room to expand. Cover the rolls tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 60-90 minutes in a warm place. I just went ahead and cut my oven on (350F) and let the rolls sit on top of the warm oven.
- After the rolls have doubled in size, bake for 20-25 minutes (I took mine out right at 20 min) or until golden brown. If you notice the tops are getting too brown too quickly, loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil and continue baking.
For the Frosting:
- Beat the frosting ingredients together until smooth. Spread on the warm pumpkin rolls.
Notes
Important Tips:
- Appropriate liquid temperature: A VERY IMPORTANT key to this recipe is making sure the liquid ingredients are the right temperature to optimally allow the yeast to let dough rise. If the liquid is too hot, it will kill the yeast. If it is not warm enough, the yeast will not be activated to rise. The goal is between 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit. An instant thermometer is best for this. But if you don’t have one, just aim for warm milk (not scalding) that feels like bath water temperature.
- Room temperature ingredients: This goes along with the appropriate temperature stated above. We don’t want to add a cold egg and cold pumpkin because then it’s going to bring the temperature of the liquid down, therefore not allowing the yeast to rise. If adding cold ingredients, just make sure you reheat the liquid to get to 100-115F again before adding the yeast.
- Kneading the dough: You want to make sure you knead the dough for at least 3 minutes before flattening it out.
- Let the dough rest: I know you’re eager to get to rolling, but don’t skip letting the dough rest for 10 minutes. This rest time allows the gluten in the rolls to relax, making the dough infinitely easier to knead and shape.
*Nutrition calculated using monk fruit sweetener, golden monk fruit sweetener and powdered monk fruit sweetener.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition is hand-calculated and accurate. No autocalulations! However, note that values can vary based on the brands you use and if you substitute ingredients.
